Heart & Pole Dance and Fitness

I’m currently taking the Pole I workshop, and it’s fantastic so far! Irish is an awesome instructor. She’s super attentive and knows how to break things down for noobs (like myself) to understand.
The classes run for about an hour and a half, with an intense warm up/​work out that will totally leave you sore the next day! You get your hips going, and your legs going, and all your inner sexiness is allowed to flow out of you without any judgement. It’s an incredible feeling. And that’s just the warm up!
Then you get pole time. The class I’m in is small, about 6 people, and there’s two poles in the studio, so everyone gets a decent amount of time on the pole to learn and practice the spins efficiently.
After that, there’s dance time! Our instructor gives us some simple choreography, and then we add it to whatever we learned on the pole that day. Cue: dimmed lights and sexy music! I especially love this part of the class because it’s really helpful in learning how to weave moves together without being all choppy and separate.
The energy at Heart & Pole is incredible, and I never once felt weird about being completely new to the pole scene. The instructors are amazing, and the people that come to Heart & Pole for classes are amazing. I highly recommend their classes!
Their 6-​week workshops are a great way to get started on the Pole journey. They’re affordable, and they also have a payment plan, which is really convenient, if you need.
So, if you’re interested in learning pole, Heart & Pole is a great place to dance.

Where can I start. This studio is my second home, it’s where my second family is. I’m speechless when I have to describe the love I have for this studio.
Not everyone can say, I love myself, and this studio has helped me grow in every way. emotionally and physically… I mean. My body has grown so much muscle haha.
On the serious note, if your a girl who wants to find your inner sexy, play on the pole, laugh, smile and make new friends! This is the place to go. The teachers are amazing and you will not regret taking a class here.
You will feel comfortable. Girls here just wanna have fun and have girl time.

Thoroughly enjoyed myself here. I took two classes and if I didn’t already have two different gym memberships, I’d get one for here too. It’s the place to bring out your inner vixen!
Beginner’s Pole Class
+Not intimidating since it’s a class full of other beginner’s
+The class is taught very slow paced and focused on fun
+The teachers are extremely nice and helpful
+The dim lighting in the class creates a «sexy» vibe which is a lot of fun!
+I wanted to take more classes immediately after
Burlesque
+We learned a routine to «Big Spender»
+The teacher was an older lady but boy was she exuding sexiness! Totally perfect to teach a burlesque class
+The routine was sexy and looked good, but easy enough for beginning dancers to learn
+The ladies in the class were all great and it was very comfortable

Heart and Pole is my home away from home.
I’ve been taking pole lessons for a while at H&P and I can’t explain how amazing that place is…
My life has been changed a lot in a good way after taking the classes there.
I’m getting stronger physically and mentally and I learn to believe myself.
I made family here and so proud I’m part of them.
This place is GORGEOUS!!!

I can’t remember when I went here, but I tried intro pole and the lap dance.
Studio: It is TINNNYYYYYYY. Two poles. Whoa, TINNNYYYY. Poles were nicely far apart, but still, it’s TINNYYYYYY. I think there were two rooms and the other room was also TINNNYYYY. In comparison to other studios I have been to, this is by far the smallest one. Anyway, on the bright side, the studio is nicely decorated. The room is dim to give it a nice sensual feel.
Lap dance: This class was actually slightly awkward for me. Lol. Probably because it wasn’t what I expected. She taught us what to do but, meh. There were maybe. I dunno. 10 girls? Two girls were lucky enough to get the soft cushy chair while everyone else got those cheap metal folded chairs. =(I was one of the unfortunate to get the metal chair. We did some crawls on the ground, and I have to say, I did enjoy doing that. That was the fun part of the lap dance. The awkward part was when we danced… sorry, I don’t mean dance, but when we did lots of body rolls facing our invisible man/​woman on the chair. It is extremely awkward when we (or maybe it’s just me) try to do it on the metal chair. Not going to lie, hurt my knees. I can only do the body rolls so many times before I get bored of it. I was hoping there was more dancing to this class, but. it was just lots of body rolls while facing your chair. Oh and the crawl which was awesome. So yeah. I thought there was a lack of dancing. I’ve seen other instructors (not here) done lap dancing before, and it was hella great and super sexy. This one seem to emphasize more on being super sexy and super sensual to your invisible man/​woman while doing not much. That’s a lap dance for ya! Not my cup of tea though. I prefer a little more movement.
Intro to Pole Dancing/​Poles: So yeah, about two poles per room? I’ve only been to one room but I took a sneak peek at the other room. This place doesn’t exactly allow you very much time to practice on the pole because you’re sharing with 5 other girls. All of the other studios I’ve been to has a lot more pole, so you get in way more practice because you either get your own or you share with only one person. Anyways, I think she taught us like. 2 moves perhaps? In the end, we did what was called a carousel? So there’s always one girl at the pole, one girl at the wall, and one more girl at the other pole, and you keep going and moving and going and moving until everyone gets a chance to do it. Anyways, during the carousel or whatever it was called, it was pretty freestyle. I felt a bit awkward (I still danced though), but I felt a bit awkward doing freestyle so soon in the game. It’s an intro! What happened to building up confidence first? Throw me in the water please. I don’t even know how to swim. The good thing about the freestyle dance was that the light was very dim with a colorful disco ball to heighten the mood.
Instructor: Forgot her name but she’s blond, short, very pretty, and very strong: She taught both intro and the lap dance class: Lets see, what should I say. I thought she was a very encouraging instructor. Emphasized a lot about safety and doing things the right way. Also talked about building confidence and learning how to be sexy and owning the room. So, she was a pretty good motivator. When she taught the pole moves, I thought she did a good job at teaching it and trying to correct you. However, she emphasized a lot about being sexxxxyyyyy. When she was teaching the lap dance, it was mainly more about being sexy once again more than really dancing. Didn’t really teach you how to really dance in this class. Not my cup of tea. So if you need that encouragement and want to be «sexy» then she’d be a great instructor. But I want to learn how to DANCE and be sexy at the same time!

This place is AMAZING.
My cousin raves about this place and has been coming here for years. Considering she usually does her research and is picky I caved in to her invitation and came to try it. I love it. If you ever want to go out of your comfort zone, learn to be more yourself, gain a lot of confidence, and really become super duper fit, this is the place.
Trina, the owner and instructor, of this place is not only a good instructor, she’s a good mentor and person. I think you can learn a lot about yourself from this class and grow as a person not just in fitness, and she helps facilitate that. The classes are nurturing, positive, and comfortable. Everyone learns at a different speed, method, pace, style, and Trina accommodates that by being very supportive, positive, energetic, and teaching many different methods to one thing until everyone can get it.
The classes are small and intimate. The classrooms are made to be comfortable and not as my cousin puts it. like a cockroach that suddenly had a flashlight shone on it.
6-​week courses. This kind of class will kick your butt. And if it doesn’t you aren’t working hard enough.

Good part of this experience, is that I didn’t feel like a stripper. I felt more like a naughty girl! I feel so confident.

«You are a hooker. I’ll just tell you now. A high-​class hooker.»
Those were the first words Trina said to me as she led me into the dark, sexy studio, with mirrors, poles and a few soft red lights. I purchased a Groupon for three classes (Lap It Up, Girlie Burlesque, and Taste of Pole). I hadn’t used it for months because of the limited schedule, so when we got an email saying that more weekend classes had opened up, I jumped on it! I scheduled myself for Lap It Up on Saturday at 3PM, and found easy street parking.
Trina is sweet, encouraging, enthusiastic, refreshingly open/​funny, and makes you feel like you’re a regular that she’s already friends with. She was more than accomodating for everyone in the class; making up new moves on the spot for anyone who had knee problems or anything else that required alternative choreography. She loves her job and takes it seriously… she even did years of research in strip clubs, knowing that she wanted the girls coming to her for lessons to be safe!
it was a really fun class, easy for beginners, and designed to make everyone feel sexy, womanly, and confident (all thanks to Trina!). I would totally take the same class with the same routine all over again. Trina encouraged questions and also for students to e-​mail her if we had stories of «successul performances.» She told me after the class that if I wanted to take the class again, I could e-​mail her if there were specific times I wanted to make a request for, or if I was a repeat and wanted a new routine.
The other students were ladies of all different ages, types, and experience levels, so that I did NOT feel intimidated at all. Everyone was just there to have fun.
Can’t wait to try the other classes! And to practice at home for my cat. YDCL.

Let me share my experience that says it all… I walked in not knowing what to expect. A small dim lit room with two massive poles. She walks in with a wild uninhibited way about her, pure confidence and swagger. Please grab mat and place in a circle she says, and the music begins to play. My hands sweating in anticipation and my heart racing with excitement I lay my mat in the circle. She leads us in various stretches and then the workout begins. My legs begin to shake and sweat begins to pour this is a workout like never before. My body is feeling every second; a minute seems forever and I feel myself digging deep inside. The music is perfect, and there are moments of laughter which help fuel the desired to push harder. The poles are a blur the only thing that I hear is my breath and the directions coming from her. Her hair is in her face; she doesn’t move it’s just there, and she moves with such sensuality and seduction. I’m thinking to myself how I only wish I could move with such ease and grace, and then I realize she is free. Her freedom is empowering and I begin to feel myself let go just a little.
We roll our mats up and begin to lineup as I do I realize I am one of two that will meet the pole first and my hands immediately start sweating. She says it’s like a first date and as she says those words it made total sense why my heart was racing and hands were sweating. I was nervous. That voice inside that says I need to be perfect, and the other voice inside saying your fat how can you do this your going to fail… I pushed it all away… I put on a smile and placed my hands on the pole. At first it felt awkward, and I felt a bit clumsy. I felt like a linebacker performing in a ballet, but each time I took my turn something strange was taking place. I began to feel something familiar and then I realized I was feeling like a child again at the play ground. I started to spin and all the scary thoughts were gone and all I felt was freedom. Freedom from myself from all of the walls I have build around me, and for a brief moment nothing mattered; not my size or my appearance, nothing.
Let’s go next door and take a look at what’s going on in there she says. We enter a room with about 5 ladies a mat on the ground for safety, and then they demonstrate some of their skills. My first thought was «well I might as well leave now there is no way I will ever get my fat ass up that pole». I watched in awe I am truly amazed at what these woman of different ages were doing, but again all I can think of is that they are all slender. I have never been thin, and in fact at one point I was close to 300 pounds so to even try to think of myself up on the pole is out of my comfort zone. Then just as quick as the negative started to fill my mind something changed I told myself this is an hour in a half of me time. It does not matter if I can never climb the pole and do those amazing things, what matters is that I am here. We left the more experienced room and sat down on the floor, the music started and she began to show us her free dance that we would be doing at the end of the class. I sat there on the floor excited and more alive than I have felt in a long time… it’s the music. it’s dancing in the moment that I have missed for so many years. The club scene is not for me, I am a wife and a mom of two beautiful boys ages 6 and 1. I felt something missing and that is not to take away from my beautiful family they do fulfill me, but something was missing in my life. I need an outlet, and a way to express myself and I have never felt more free than when I dance. I saw a glimpse of how I used to feel when I watched her dance, and I felt her freedom on the floor that night.
This is truly life changing!!! Thank you Trina!!!

Being completely addicted to pole dancing in recent months, I decided to do pole dancing for my bachlorette party. My friend already takes classes at Heart & Pole so she suggested that I do it there. Having been to pole parties before where we almost did no pole dancing, I sort of assumed my pole party would be similar. I was very pleasently surprised …
Trina, the owner, greeted my party with a cheerful and positive attitude. She even provided some light refreshments for us. The class was a lot of fun and Trina really got all of my friends to get on the pole and be motivated to do what they can. She taught us a lot of spins as well as techniques for freestyling. Overall, the atmosphere was a lot of fun and unintimidating for those who have never done this before. I really give Trina props for providing such a great environment for everyone.
Unfortunately, this studio is too far for me to take classes here regularly, but if you live in the area, I highly recommend it!

I’ve been going to Heart and Pole for a while now. I actually started with a group of 5 strangers that became very good friends for the remainder of the program. We obviously shared a lot of our vulnerabilities with one another. It is a very safe, non-​judgemental environment and we’re able to express our sensual side and have fun while doing it. We took Vixen 1& 2 then I finished up the program on my own, doing privates with Trina and Melissa for Polefessionals 1 & 2.
The girls and I became very close with Trina and she was so nice to create a Sunday class just so we can all be together. Melissa is also fantastic to give her own twist on some of the pole moves that we were working on. Although group classes are great, I also recommend taking private lessons for that one-​on-​one coaching. The last private I had with Trina I was shaking for an hour after class… kicked my ass!
After taking this program, I have a whole new respect for pole dancers. Pole dancing is not for the weak. I thought I was fit prior to taking it… but I quickly learned it takes a lot of upper body strength and a strong core at the very least. In order to progress into the program, I also did weights, circuit training in addition to yoga (for flexibility) to build my upper body (upper back, shoulders, etc.) and get a stronger core. Now my life is so much easier climbing the pole and doing inversions with ease.
I highly recommended but you gotta be 110% committed.

Never felt sexier.
As a self proclaimed dork/​nerd extraordinaire, I never thought in a million years that I’d be interested in pole dancing… much less get good at it.
Gotta give props for Debbie Y. for inviting me to a pole dancing bachelorette party. Spending a few hours learning basic tricks from Trina got me hooked. I asked her when her next 6-​week pole session for Vixen I (beginner) starts, and she said I could already start mid-​session knowing that I’d fit in already. She even pro-​rated the fee. Sweet.
First 30 minutes of each session is a warm-​up/​work out. It’s a combination of yoga, pilates, and floormat moves that will really challenge your core and endurance. The next 60 minutes focuses on tricks, choreography, and free-​styling.
Vixen II is pretty similar to Vixen I in that it builds upon what you’ve already learned. And then… there’s the climbing. You’ll start to learn more about body awareness and develop core/​upper body strength to be able to climb the pole and work on poses in the air.
The best part about this is the environment is so open and relaxed that you don’t have to feel self-​conscious about yourself. Everybody cheers you on, and you just repeat repeat repeat until you get it right. With the small class sizes (up to 8) you’ll get individual attention and corrections as needed.
Things worth noting:
1. Be prepared for the pole-​bruises. You’ll look like you’ve been beat up. It’s worth it, and it gets better once you get used to it.
2. Small parking lot available, but there’s also a lot of street parking.
3. Early-​bird specials are usually $ 199 for the 6 week pole workshops. Regular price $ 220
4. Wear booty-​shorts. You need skin to spin and climb poles. In Vixen II, stripper shoes are optional; recommended for those who want an easier climb.
5. If you have to miss one session, that’s ok. The staff will allow you to make up the session, preferably with the same instructor, on a different day of the week. Just inform them ASAP so they know if they can fit you in with a different class that week.
I’m not much of a gym rat, so I think I finally found a work out that’s actually fun. You don’t get bored doing the same routine, and there’s always something more you can do. Combine that with the positive vibes and the sudden burst of confidence, and you end up discovering an experience that you’ll want to repeat over and over again.

I’m going to put my rating back to three because the president of the studio emailed me and told me they’d make an exception for me to take the pole/​burlesque class on the weekdays.
I recommend those who have a groupon who really need to do it on the weekday (if you work in the area on the weekday but live somewhere else on the weekend) — email the studio. It may take awhile to get a response. But I’m just glad she didn’t ignore my email and wrote to me letting me take the class. Of course, groupon refunded my money, so I do not have the groupon for this anymore.
I did enjoy the class that I did take (African Vibe) and enjoyed it tremendously. So I’ll put it back to a three.
Please review my previous reviews.

Let me set the mood:
1) Play this song
2) Put yourself in a dimly lit room, sit back, and relax.
3) Imagine coquettishly sexy women wearing silky long gloves, long strands of pearls, and high heels performing the art of burlesque.
Yup, this is how I spent my saturday afternoon. After three long years, I went back to my original pole dance teacher for an hour of Girlie Burlesque fun! This was my first time in her new studio in Hermosa Beach and I was impressed! Inviting, classy, clean, great atmosphere, everything you would expect from Heart & Pole.
This was also my first time taking a non-​pole class with H&P. Trina led our group with her usual playfulness and awesomeness. You can really tell that Trina truly teaches from her heart and it is so beautiful! We learned how to play with the long strands of pearls and integrating it into a teasingly hot choreographed dance that had a lot of slow wiggling, slow bending, floor work, and chair dancing.
But this isn’t your standard «five, six, seven, eight!» So if you suck at memorizing what move to do on what beat, then don’t you worry. Trina keeps it really simple with what she likes to call: «drunk girl choreography.» Trina gives you the building blocks which you can work with and make it your own. Even if you had to take a drinky-​drink to help with the nerves, it’s simple enough to remember yet engaging enough to make your lover drool! Most importantly, this class doesn’t «teach» you to be sexy but reminds you that you ARE sexy!
Let me just say that as a single woman this Valentine’s Day, I really needed to remind myself that I am sexy :) …I swear, Heart & Pole is like therapy!
This class was SO MUCH FUN and my friend who took the class with me had a blast too! We’re signing up for more! Girlie Burlesque classes are one-​day drop-​in classes which is perfect for those who can’t commit to a weekly session. It’s only $ 25 per class and worth every penny! I plan on dropping in on more Girlie Burlesque fun! ;)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Heart and Pole. I can’t say it enough. I went to heart and pole for the first time when they had a Groupon, and was hooked.
I signed up for a month of unlimited classes, and now am about to start my second series of 6-​week pole dance lessons.
I’ve taken classes with several of the instructors and all were so animated, genuine, caring and knowledgeable, I never had anything less than a BLAST the whole time.
I am not a dancer and haven’t ever been comfortable dancing in a crowd, but these classes shoot your ego out the window and you just go with it! It is truly empowering and a wonderful way to end or begin your day!
The women at Heart and Pole know what they’re doing, know what they’re talking about, and are inspirational, strong, incredible role models for women of any age. I don’t see myself every straying from this studio.

My groupon/​livingsocial/​lifebooker obsessed self bought their coupon for «Intro to Pole Dancing» class! At this point in my life (sad single girl) figured, I could use a pick me up! And my compulsive shoppaholic self clicked buy…
I didn’t exactly know what I was getting into walking into the studio… I kept thinking, OMG I can’t believe I’m doing this! All the girls are probably stick skinny, big fake boobies! totally sexy! AHH! BREATHE! But as I walked in, all the girls there are ‘real/​normal’ girls! The studio is gorgeous, very confortable and warm. I kept thinking how I was going to paint my future house like this =x
Anyways, we walk into the studio, and we start out with a mat workout… WHEW! I do yoga/​pilates, I got this! Even better, they add a little sexy twist to it! After a while, the low lighting, and the positive vibes, even a little giggling, you start feeling confortable, and *gasp!* a little sexy? I was starting to feel like myself again! At the end of the class, I was fighting to get to the front of the line to sign up for the Vixen 1 Series!
Trina, the owner, was soooo gracious to work with me, my work is sending me out of state, so she offered to let me pay per class until I knew when my final departure date was… Now that I’m almost done with the Vixen 1 Series… I literally leave the studio each time regaining just a little more of my confidence! I am starting to feel more and more sexy and womanly! Now I keep thinking I don’t wanna go outta state! :(I’m hooked!
Thank you Trina and H&P for giving this Stella her groove back! You better believe when I get back, I’m signing up for another series!

i found out about this place through the Southbay Monthly Mailer i get in the mail. there was a $ 15 one time class coupon but i didnt get to use it before the expiration. i decided to «like» heart and pole on facebook and through that i found out about a few free classes. I was able to participate in the Bollywood Dance Workout and the Power Sculpt Toning classes.
Bollywood Class — love love love! the instructor really exemplified that fitness really does mean fun at heart and pole! (i know cheesy!) I’m the kind of person that doesnt like her workouts to feel like work if that makes any sense, so this class was great! It combined my love for bollywood music and dancing like its 1999 into a fun healthy workout :)
The toning class — bad bad bad idea on my end :(I came right after work, didn’t stretch beforehand and OMG was I sore the next day! it was a great class and again, great instructor, but just not my choice for a workout. It was like the army style workout, with stations…
I can’t wait to sign up for a regular series!

Heart & Pole was the second place we went to as we were starting off a bachelorette party for the night. There were grapes, strawberries, and we were allowed to bring our own champagne in. Which for the more self conscious people is a relief.
Just as Rachel K. stated «the best and most fun 2 hours is an understatement.» Sums it up quite perfectly.
Trina was a fantastic instructor, but more importantly she made you feel confidant that YOU can do certain routines. Trina had us laughing the entire time learning routines such as «Dirty Club Toilet» and «Dirty Christmas Tree».
I had such a WONDERFUL experience, and I have to give a BIG thank you to Trina for making that happen!

My girlfriend had her bachelorette party over the weekend and our Saturday activity was a 2 hour class at Heart and Pole with Trina. To say this was the best and most fun 2 hours is an understatement. It went by so quickly because it was so great!
Trina was a fantastic instructor and if I lived nearby, I would come back for more classes! She made everything easy to learn and really fun! The best was her humor as she made even the less «delicate» moves humorous and memorable.
I’m so glad the party was planned here! Thanks for everything Trina!

Hi, my name is Steve.
I’m a geek and I’ve never walked in high heels. I’m a recovering tomboy.
*quiet claps*
That’s what it felt like when I came into H&P the first time: an Urkel duckling in the midst of beautiful, slender, toned swans. All of them climbing poles like they were made of Velcro and gracefully hanging down like some valedictorians of the SpiderMan for Dummies course.
I thought about leaving, but something told me I shouldn’t…and I’m glad I didn’t.
Before you think: «Zomg, pole dancing?! Nasty!» or «ZOMG, pole dancing! I am teh sexorz!», I want you to break it to you: H&P are none of these things. This studio is a female martial arts dojo. You are here to learn about your limits, shed that LA twinkle mask, and learn to treasure the most important thing in your life: you.
You want to be sexy? Anyone can teach you that, but who can teach you to be sensual? Aye. Thar be the rub.
The ladies here are all professional with decades of experience: some of them former professional belly dancers, trainers, ballerinas and burlesque queens. Most of them mothers and all them survivors. You think you feel inadequate? They’ve all been there and they are willing to coach you through it… even tomboys like me who fall on their asses more than climb up that pole. Still have the heebie jeebies about poles? That’s when Yoga, pilates and PT comes in. Yeah, they have that too.
Coming from a kickboxing/​capoeira background, I love this place. Same amount of sweat, same amount of muscle building, but a lot more class, a lot more sass and a lot more laughs.
Drop in for a visit, I promise you won’t be disappointed.